The Jaguar's Halloween Bride (Holiday Mail Order Mates Book 5) Read online

  She’d had a good feeling about them. They’d both been so nice. But two gorgeous men? That might be a bit much. She knew the universe had good things in store but she wasn’t sure she was up to the task. She wanted to talk to someone before she went out with two shiftermen.

  She quickly sent a text to her friend Blair. Blair worked at the furniture shop in town and would have some advice. She’d gone out with tons of guys and she was married to a very nice shifter. Blair’s husband even knew Abe. If Blair didn’t know much about alpha triads, Lizzy was comfortable talking to Nate about her issue.

  Even though it was late, Blair quickly text back to come down for lunch the next day. That was perfect. She didn’t tell Blair all the details but she let her know that it was going to be about dating shifters and asked if Nate would be at work the next day too. Once she got confirmation that he was, she did a little happy dance. She would be able to talk to them both.

  She would have to take a few hours off work but that was alright. She had all her employees working the next day already. She was supposed to working on her Halloween stock but she could take an hour off to talk.

  Before she went to bed, she replied to Ray and accepted the match on LK Brides. She wanted to agree before she could overthink it. On a whim, she replied to the Daily too.

  Might as well get all the scary emails answered in one sitting. A date and an interview all in the same month. It was going to be a very interesting October for Lizzy.

  Chapter Six

  Ray’s day was getting better and better. He’d been impulsive the night before, and thought when he woke up that he was going to be in big trouble. He’d not only sent an email to Lizzy from the coffee shop but had also signed himself and his brother up for LK Brides. He knew it was crazy, but he was sick of waiting. It was entirely unlike him to act without consulting his brother, but Abe was being odd.

  When Ray had asked Abe about Lizzy, Abe had initially refused to ask her out. It had taken all night to convince him to let Ray email her. Then, Ray had asked his friend Blair for her email address. He had wanted to text her, but the situation was too much to text. He wanted to explain the whole alpha triad thing to her when he asked her out. Some girls were weirded out by the whole “dating two men” thing. It was while emailing her that he’d decided to sign up for LK Brides.

  What if she didn’t want to date both of them? He didn’t want to have to keep waiting if she said no. So, in a fit of insecurity, he’d quickly filled out the questionnaire and got the ball rolling with the mail-order bride service.

  He was surprised to see that he and Abe already had a match the next morning. When he saw who it was, his heart almost stopped. They were an almost perfect match with Lizzy. It was almost too good to be true.

  He didn’t feel bad about signing up behind his brother’s back. This was a good thing. Lizzy had to be their mate. He had to break the news to Abe, but there was no way Abe was going to be mad now. Ray had found their mate. Abe was going to be excited when he heard the good news.

  “Can I talk to you about something?” Ray asked his brother.

  “Sure. What’s up?” Abe asked.

  Ray had been acting strange all night. Abe must have assumed he’d had a bad day at work or had had a fight with a friend and was waiting to say something. He’d asked him a few times if he had done something to annoy him. Ray had felt bad that he had to keep the secret, but he’d wanted some good news to share before he spilled the beans.

  “I want you to listen to everything I have to say before you freak out,” Ray said. “I know you’re not going to be happy about this, but I signed us up for LK Brides.”

  Ray could see the blood drain from his brother’s face and then rush back in. Abe was about to have a freak-out.

  “You did what?”

  “I signed us up, and we got a match.” Ray navigated on his phone for a moment and then held up the screen so his brother could see it. “Do you remember meeting this lovely lady?”

  Abe blinked a few times before he took the phone. “I do. She’s hot, but that doesn’t make me any happier. I told you I didn’t want to try out this stupid website. I’m not ready for this crap.”

  “When are you going to be ready?” Ray threw up his hands in frustration. “We have a home. We have good jobs. We’re in the prime of our lives. We’re not getting any younger, and I don’t know how much better it can get for us without a mate. Why not try to find her now?”

  “If we get a girl before we’re ready, we’re going to lose her.”

  “We are ready. I’m telling you, your objections are insane.”

  Abe jumped up. “Don’t tell me I’m insane. I know you’re not ready for this. We haven’t even been able to date a girl together properly. How do you think we’ll be able to get one to marry us?”

  “I know because LK Brides says we’re a 99% match with this one. You know how rare that is?”

  “I know, but that’s just what a computer thinks. That doesn’t mean it’ll actually work out. Man, this is why I didn’t want to do this computer match thing. I thought this girl was great when I met her, but now it’s going to be weird. You’re betting all your hopes and dreams on this relationship.”

  “I thought she was great when I first saw her, too. This girl is the one for us. She has everything we’ve been looking for.”

  Ray chose to ignore what Abe had said about hoping for too much. He was putting all his hopes and dreams in one basket, but this was a great woman. If he didn’t get excited about Lizzy, he was never going to be excited about any woman.

  Abe shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t even get to talk to her. I only saw her outside of the gym and thought she looked lost. I wasn’t looking for a love connection. I was just trying to be helpful.”

  “But you did think she was attractive. I bet your jaguar was interested too. I did talk to her at the coffee shop, and she’s pretty great. We’re lucky to get a chance with her.”

  “How do you even know we have a chance? This website only says we might be a good match.”

  “This website knows we’re a good match. And I’ve already asked her out.”

  Abe slapped his hands over his eyes. “You’ve already asked her out? Geez, how long were you going to wait to tell me?”

  “I don’t know. I thought you might notice when we send out the wedding invites.”

  “Well, what did she say?”

  “She wants to go out with us.”

  Abe nodded and rocked back on his heels. Ray had known he wasn’t going to be happy that Ray had gone behind his back, but they had a date. This was going to be fine. Abe just needed to give it a try. It didn’t matter how great a match LK thought they were; if they couldn’t keep it together and show her how awesome they were, they would lose her. He needed his brother to get on board.

  “Fine,” Abe said. “I’ll go on one date. I still don’t think this is going to work, but I don’t want to be rude.”

  “That’s great! You won’t regret this, man.”

  Ray meant it. Abe might not be sure, but he was confident enough for both of them. They had waited long enough. It was time for them to go after their mate.

  Chapter Seven

  “Stop fidgeting so much,” Ray said to his brother.

  “I can’t help it. I’m too nervous.” Abe readjusted his button-down shirt once more. Then he took it off and put it back on again. “Are you sure the shirt is okay?”

  “You look fine, man. She isn’t going to care what shirt you’re wearing.”

  They were headed for their first date with Lizzy. They were going to a corn maze. It had been Ray’s idea. They had gone to this one with their friends every year. The organizers did a new design every year, and it was always fun. You could take as long as you wanted to in the maze, so it was perfect for a long date. Ray thought they could walk along and get to know each other in a relaxed but active atmosphere.

  He hated movies as first dates. It was so awkward to meet up with
someone and then sit in the dark for a couple of hours. He and Abe had tried that before, in their teens, and it had been a disaster. When it was a date with two guys, that made a movie date even more uncomfortable for the girl. He could always tell they were freaking out over dating two guys during the whole movie. Active dates gave them the chance to talk about the whole triad thing before the girl got weirded out.

  “This is the place. I’ll go get her.” Ray jumped out and went to the intercom. He buzzed Lizzy’s apartment. “It’s Ray. We’re downstairs.”

  “I’ll be right down in a minute,” she said through the box.

  Abe got out of the car and they waited for her together. A few nervous moments later, the lovely Lizzy appeared. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing much makeup. She was wearing loose jeans and a light sweater. It was perfect for a day at the corn maze and still incredibly sexy.

  She smiled at them both. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Great to see you too,” Ray said.

  Abe nodded. “Glad to finally get to talk to you outside of the gym.”

  “Which car is yours?” she asked.

  “That’s my SUV.” Ray pointed to the big green monster. “You want to sit shotgun?”

  She nodded. “Great. If Abe doesn’t mind?”

  Abe shook his head. “Go ahead. I’ve had more than enough time to sit next to Ray.”

  “Have you ever gone through a corn maze before?” Ray asked her as they got into the car.

  “I haven’t. I’ve gone to the orchard, though.”

  “This is way cooler than the orchard. We probably won’t even have time to pick apples. You’re in for a treat.” Ray started the car and began their drive. “This place has the best corn maze in the entire state.”

  “It’s six miles long,” Abe added.

  Lizzy looked worried. “That’s a lot of walking.”

  “It is, but you’ll barely notice it. We’ll take it really slow,” Ray told her with a smile. “We want to be able to spend as much time out there with you as possible, after all.”

  She smiled back. “I’m really looking forward to getting to spend time with you guys, too.”

  Lizzy looked out the window but reached for Ray’s hand. It was a little forward for a first real date, but he didn’t mind. He hoped that Abe wasn’t too jealous in the backseat. It was his own fault. Abe had said he didn’t want to drive so he could talk more.

  “Abe tells me you went down to the gym yesterday?”

  Lizzy nodded. “I’m looking to get into better shape. I haven’t worked out in so long.”

  “Looking to get in shape for anything particular?” Abe asked.

  “I am. I have a big article coming up in the Daily.”

  “Is it anything like the one that Emma did?”

  “Yes, it’s exactly the same one.” Lizzy turned to tell him about it. “I was hoping to look a little better for the photo they’ll use, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen anymore. It’s coming up much faster than I expected.”

  “You look great already,” Ray told her earnestly.

  “Thanks, but it can’t hurt to be in better shape. I decided to extend my goal to the new year. If I start working out now, in three months I’ll be in perfect shape. Or at least getting there. I made myself a mini-goal to hit by the time the article comes out. I’d like to be able to walk a mile nonstop in eleven minutes instead of twenty by the time it’s published.”

  “That’s a pretty big goal.” Abe leaned forward between the seats. “You’re looking to cut your mile time almost in half. What if you wanted to go for, say, a fifteen-minute mile instead?”

  From the way Abe had perked up and the tone of his voice, Ray could tell his brother was very excited. Abe loved talking about fitness goals and figuring out how to reach them. That was his job for a reason. It was great that he could connect with Lizzy over it.

  “What do you think about going to the gym and working on it four days a week?” Abe asked her.

  Lizzy considered that, then said, “That wouldn’t be so bad. I talked to a nice trainer, Jennifer, when I went in the other day. She’s just the greatest. She hooked me up with a nutritionist and everything.”

  “I really like her too. She’s great,” Abe agreed. “You lucked out if she’s your trainer. She’s the best of all the ladies we have.”

  “You go to the gym often?” Lizzy asked Ray.

  He shook his head. “Abe goes often enough for both of us.”

  Abe laughed. “He just doesn’t like that I’m better at it than he is.”

  “You can’t be better at working out than I am,” Ray said indignantly. “It’s not a competition.”

  “If it was, I’d win. Don’t let him fool you, Lizzy.”

  She laughed. “Don’t worry—you’re both better at it than I am. At least for now! Hopefully, by the new year, I’ll be even better than Abe, or at least giving him a run for his money. I’m going to be on a first-name basis with all the gym regulars. They’re going to know me too, and they’ll greet me when I come in. It’s going to be like Cheers.”

  “Except with less drinking and much more sweat,” Ray said.

  She giggled. “Hey, why did you guys pick this maze for our first date? How did you even hear about it?”

  “We come every year with a bunch of our friends.” Abe leaned forward and touched her arm. “But I’m more excited to do it with you. I think you’re really going to enjoy this. You said you’ve never gone to a corn maze before?”

  “Nope, I haven’t. None of my friends have ever been interested. We usually go to haunted houses.”

  “We don’t do those,” Ray said. “But we do like scary movies. Maybe we can watch some together later this month?”

  Lizzy nodded excitedly. “I love scary movies. I have a whole list of new ones I want to watch this year. I usually try to save all the ones from over the summer for October. I can’t usually do thirty straight days of horror movies—that’s too scary. But I do like to watch at least two a week.”

  “So, does that mean we get to have at least two dates every week for all of October?” Ray asked.

  “And at least one more for Halloween,” Abe added. “You’re going to come to our Halloween party, right?”

  “I didn’t know you guys were having a party.” Lizzy turned to look at him again. “How come you guys didn’t mention it before?”

  “We didn’t want to pressure you so you felt like you had to come,” Ray explained. “We try to throw one at least every other year. It can get a little out of hand.”

  “We need that extra year to clean up sometimes,” Abe joked.

  “I don’t mind a little fun if it’s a party,” Lizzy said. “Plus, it’s another excuse to buy a new costume. I haven’t dressed up in two years.”

  “Are you kidding?” Abe said. “You don’t dress up and go to the bar?”

  “I didn’t go to the bar last year. I had to work. The shop was so busy that I was exhausted. I didn’t have that many employees last year.”

  “Well, this year you’re not only getting to do all the fun stuff, you could go to a party, too,” Abe said.

  Ray was already excited by the possibility of seeing Lizzy in a sexy costume. He knew that some girls liked dressing up in sexy outfits for Halloween, and he hoped Lizzy was one of them. If she were to dress up in a scary costume, that would be fine too, but man oh man, would he love to see her in a sexy getup. Sexy nurse, sexy cat, sexy mouse, sexy police officer.

  He knew exactly what he was going to do with those handcuffs.

  This was going to be fun. He couldn’t wait to spend the Halloween season with their new girlfriend.

  Chapter Eight

  “This is the best costume shop in the entire area,” Ray said as he pulled into a parking space near the front.

  Lizzy looked around. “There’s no one else here.”

  “We’re early.” Abe got out of the SUV and stretch
ed his legs. “Today is the first day they’re open for the season.”

  Ray grabbed her hand. “Trust me. You’re going to love this place.”

  Abe led the way into their favorite Halloween haunt. They’d been coming here since they were kids. There were costume shops in town, but none of them could compete with Costumes Galore.

  “This place has the most original costumes around,” Ray told Lizzy. “If you want to get something that’ll really stand out in a crowd, this is where you have to come.”

  “Do you guys like dressing up?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I do, but Abe isn’t a big fan.”

  His twin shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’m just not as into it as Ray is.”

  “What about you?” Ray asked Lizzy.

  “I like it, but…”

  “But what?” Ray prompted when she trailed off.

  “I have trouble finding stuff I like that actually fits me.” Her face was bright red, and she was looking at the ground. “Most of the stuff in my size is so ugly. It’s always made of cheap fabric. All of my favorite costumes have been handmade.”

  “Ours, too, before we found this place,” Ray told her.

  She looked at him incredulously. It was embarrassing enough to have to admit that she couldn’t shop off the rack. He didn’t have to patronize her.

  Abe laughed. “We aren’t exactly shaped like your normal human guy. You think these shoulders are going to fit into a regular Frankenstein costume off the rack?”

  She laughed. “Frankenstein?”

  “That’s what I’m looking for,” Abe said. “You could go as Bride of Frankenstein.”

  “Or I could go as Dracula,” Ray said. “And you two could go as Vampira and Scary Dracula.”